We moved to Carlisle the end of June 1969 with our two young daughters. We had just left Long Island and the New York City congestion to begin a new adventure in a beautiful town where we didn't know a single person. Our neighbors waved to us and we discovered that Baldwin Road was a wonderful neighborhood with lots of children and friendly families.

But best of all we discovered Old Home Day. When we arrived, the town was full of signs about a square dance in the school parking lot, pancakes for breakfast. So, not yet unpacked, we headed to what immediately became our favorite Carlisle event  Old Home Day. It may be named for its welcoming of former residents, but you can't beat it for a welcome-to-town event.

That first year we went to the outdoor square dance and met the Munsons who had daughters just the age of ours. The next day we had pancakes in the basement of the Congregational Church (later to become the Post Office for a while) and learned about nursery schools and places to swim from our table-mates.

The rest of that first Old Home Day is a bit of a blur, but over the next 32 years we entered art contests, the road race (once), pie contests  Don was a pie judge some years  pet contests  our Sheltie was never happy about that! One year our three girls were giant flowers in the Carlisle Nature Program float that Lyn Lucks created. Through the years we followed the pancake breakfast from the "old" Congregational Church to Union Hall and then to the "new" Congregational Church where we hope it will soon return.

And now we have our grandchildren in town who shuck corn and ride bikes in the parade while their dad rides with the firemen and cooks for the ever-popular barbecue dinner.

Thanks to Scott and Susan Evans, the Cantrills and all the organizers and producers of this not-to-be-missed event  still a favorite after 33 years.